Power and the Pendulum
by Star Nisei
Summary: She was a success, now. She had it all—or so she thought. But no matter how high she rose, one man could still bring her down. And… even she didn't realize how far down he was going to take her. AU, Draco x Hermione. Dark. Both main characters are in their early thirties and are humans in the real world. Hermione is president of Hogwarts U but Draco still manages to make trouble.


**Power and the Pendulum**

**Summary:** She was a success, now. She had it all—or so she thought. But no matter how high she rose, one man could still bring her down. And… even she didn't realize how far down he was going to take her. AU, Draco x Hermione. Dark. Both main characters are in their early thirties and are humans in the real world.

(Originally posted 6/30/13)

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**Chapter 1**

"President Granger will see you now." The dark-haired secretary buzzed him in, coolly polite, although she could not disguise the slight blush on her cheeks after he had smiled at her and held her gaze just a hair too long. The blond walked serenely into the luxurious, walnut-paneled office of the head of Hogwarts University.

Hermione Granger was seated behind her desk, head bent over her paperwork, face stern and bushy brown hair twisted back into a businesslike bun, her cream silk shirt buttoned all the way up to her throat underneath a slate grey suit jacket. Behind her, floor-to-ceiling windows yielded a spectacular view, framed by thick green canopies of the venerable black oak trees that dotted the campus. The university grounds sloped off into the distance, lush lawns surrounding turn-of-the-century architecture in building after building, the city and its new skyscrapers gleaming in the background. The university's endowment had done well over the past decade, and the city had ridden the wave of prosperity along with it. This quiet room, with its understated display of opulence, was the seat of power over a concealed financial juggernaut; for all it was ostensibly a non-profit, the university controlled the lives of tens of thousands of people and billions of dollars in revenue.

The man slid gracefully into one of the mahogany ribbon-back chairs in front of the huge slab of a desk, hiding a smirk as the woman ignored him and busied herself with her work. Although Granger put up a brave, polished front, he knew all too well her soft underside. Gazing at her chest, his lips twitched. Very soft.

It was fine. He would be patient and allow her to play her games—for a while. Idly, he leaned back in the chair, stretching out his long legs, and took his cell phone from his pocket and began fiddling with it. As he expected, it did not take long for her to become restless, as she often had in his presence, in the old days. With an audible sigh, she flipped pages back and forth. His amusement grew, although none of his emotion showed on his face.

Hermione stared resolutely at the papers in front of her, although she did not see a single word of the neatly typed text. This was an interview that she had been dreading. She had thought more than once of having a subordinate conduct it, or of skipping the preliminaries and moving directly to convening an employee disciplinary hearing. But that would have been cowardly. She would be brave, as she often had had to in the past few years. She had never wanted to be an administrator, to be responsible for the well-being of thousands of university staff. She preferred the quiet life of a scientist and researcher.

But as her patents were one of the largest sources of the institution's revenue, she had been encouraged—no, begged—to enter the administration of her beloved university and have a say in running it, despite her all her demurrals. And indeed, under her leadership the university had prospered further. She was known for the kindness that permeated her sharp intelligence, for her fairness and compassion, for her skilled negotiations with donors and businesses.

Last year, though, exhausted from the demands of the position, she had asked to step down to return to her lab and her research. But the board of regents had insisted she stay on as president. She was needed, they asserted, desperately needed.

And so… here she still was. Doing something she dreaded above all else. She gave a long, long sigh and took a moment to gaze out the window at the peaceful, tree-lined vista outside.

Finally, she shut the folder she was pretending to read and looked back at the man lounging in one of her office chairs. She could not help an intake of breath as she stared straight into his classically handsome features, his large, intense eyes beneath slanted pale brows. It had been such a long time since she had seen him up close that she had almost forgotten how physically beautiful he was. Unconsciously, she frowned at him, sprawled lazily in the chair across from her, one elbow propped casually on an armrest, regarding her with amused tolerance. _He_ was the one who should be nervous here, not her.

She gathered her courage and began. "I've asked you to speak with me today to address some very serious allegations." She tugged at a loose strand of hair briefly and then, noticing the nervous habit, deliberately stilled her hand and placed it flat on the table.

Draco looked politely inquiring. "Allegations?" he murmured. "So you have no proof." He smiled.

She scowled. "You're making this deliberately difficult," she accused.

The man merely shrugged and leaned his head against the back of the chair, thick lashes falling over his eyes, elegant face tilting, allowing more of the pale skin of his throat to become visible above his open-collared black shirt. Hermione swallowed. Damn the man. Why did he have to be so inhumanly attractive? She pressed her lips tightly together and rustled the paper in front of her. "As a faculty member of this university," she began in a stern tone of voice, "you know very well the rules regarding fraternization between a professor and a student."

Draco stirred. "Fraternization? Come now." He laughed, the rich baritone setting Hermione's skin buzzing underneath her constricting clothing. She twisted uncomfortably in her seat. "You're using distancing language, Hermione. You know what that means." She scowled at his use of her first name, but ignored his comment and determinedly continued reading from the text before her.

"I have here six horrific allegations, all from young students at this university. A student in your freshman English literature class maintains that you insinuated that she could obtain an A if she, um, performed sexual favors for you in your office."

Draco's face was calm. "I have no need to bribe women for sex." His lips curved in a wicked smile. "As you well know."

Hermione swallowed, and then lowered her brows and glared at him. She continued resolutely, "Another student claims that you took her out to dinner and plied her with wine and other alcoholic drinks. She woke up in the morning in a hotel bed with Blaise Zabini."

Draco's face remained impassive. "Am I to blame for Blaise Zabini's escapades?"

Hermione scowled and went on. "Another young lady alleges that you persuaded her and her best friend to spend the night in your house, and then the three of you—the three of you—" She stammered and ground to a halt. "The girl was later admitted to the hospital with whip scars and rope burns around her wrists, ankles, and neck."

Draco shrugged. "Is it my fault if the younger generation is—" He met her eyes, then continued delicately, "adventurous in their sexual play? Does anyone question whether their acts were consensual?"

Hermione slammed her hand down on the desk, eyes burning. "The point is that it is unprofessional conduct for you to have sexual relations with students, Draco! Whether or not they consented, although some of them do seem to have doubt on that subject."

There was silence in the room for a moment. Then Draco rose and glided unhurriedly around the desk. Hermione shrank back in her chair, shaking slightly, her eyes pinned by his as he approached. "What are you doing?" she asked, dismayed that her voice quavered and she felt boneless.

He ignored her question, looming over her—_too close, far too close_—and regarding her with the faintest tinge of amusement on his full lips. This was not how a disciplinary meeting with a subordinate should go. She was supposed to be in charge here. She should get up, shout for help, tell him in a firm voice to leave at once. But she could not move. Paralyzed, all she could do was stare at him, eyes wide and distressed, as he drew ever closer. He placed both hands on the armrests of her chair, boxing her in, and slowly, slowly bent down until his lips touched her ear. She shivered with a sudden, intense thrill at his proximity, at the touch of his breath on the shell of her ear. She tried to open her mouth, but found she could neither move nor speak.

"I think," he murmured as her skin tingled as his lips grazed her ear, "that you should be more judicious with the words you bandy about, my dear, lest you be accused of hypocrisy. 'Unprofessional'?" He paused. "What of certain of your own actions?" he whispered, and then gave the rim of her ear a long, deliberate lick.

All her blood felt like it was rushing to her head as his tongue traced the sensitive inner shell of her ear and her breathing quickened. "I—I—you know I didn't want—since we—I haven't done—" she stammered. Taking a deep breath, she stiffened and leaned as far away from him as she could. But she could not look away from his finely chiseled features, his dark, intense eyes. Her heart was pounding madly as her body registered the warmth of his skin against hers, his clean scent, the elegant feel of the expensive fabric of his suit. No. She was not going to allow herself to feel attraction to this man. No… she wailed internally, as something traitorous began to smolder deep within her core.

His expression was calm and reflective as he regarded her. "You didn't want…?" he murmured, one long-fingered hand reaching out, the tips of his fingers stroking along her jawline.

At the touch of his hand, the creeping sparks of desire ignited with a flash and roared through her entire body, leaving her shaking under the onslaught of a wholly inappropriate, dark craving, mentally cursing her own hormones. Deep within her, a small, seductive voice was whispering to her. _Submit,_ it whispered. _Indulge yourself just once… _

No. She had to ignore it. Draco Malfoy was treacherous, perfidious, amoral. There was no reason she, a respectable, even powerful university president, should have any feelings for this man whatsoever. And if she had in the past or even still did, she needed to quash them. Now. Not just for herself, but for all the people who depended upon her, for all the innocents who might become Draco's further victims. "It was a mistake," she muttered through clenched teeth. "I made an error in judgment."

His eyes widened in mock innocence. "Oh, how quickly you abandon me, Hermione." His lips curled slightly. "I seem to recall you begging me to stay." His searching fingers caressed her throat, slid downwards to gently tug at the fabric of her blouse, one fingertip delicately insinuating itself under her neckline and running along her quivering skin. "You yourself asked me to touch you—" he murmured, "—here… and here…" His other hand boldly traced a teasing curve along the inside of her inner thigh and she gasped as a jolt of desire fired her core.

"No…" She uttered a strangled cry that was half moan, writhing in the chair. "Not again, I promised myself…" She trailed off.

Draco's eyes glittered beneath heavy lids, locks of pale blond hair brushing the clear skin of his forehead. "Hermione." His voice was like chocolate, sweet and sinful, deep and dark, dark, dark. "You know you still want me," he whispered.

"No…" she mumbled, shaking her head.

He leaned forward and she closed her eyes, trying to turn her head away. She felt one hand skate over the back of her neck, and then he had loosened her bun so that her hair fell over her shoulders. She could feel her scalp ease as her hair tumbled loose and warm across her back. His hands plunged into her hair and she could hear his low hum of pleasure.

"Ah… your hair is still beautiful, Hermione. What a shame that you keep it so harshly imprisoned."

"No… stop it…" But her voice broke and lacked conviction, even to her. She felt his clever fingers at the buttons at her throat, one, two, three… The air felt cool on her bare skin, and as he caressed her throat she sighed and arched her back almost unwillingly.

"Do you truly wish me to stop?"

"We're in my office…!" she protested feebly. What was she doing? Her assistant could come in any time; she was supposed to be reprimanding him and placing a letter in his official record; she knew he was using her simply to avoid punishment; he might, no… he _would_ blackmail her; he would threaten her with scandal… and it was so, so wrong to be involved with Malfoy in any possible way. She knew better. She knew better now; she knew all too well what kind of a man he was. He had no boundaries whatsoever; he scorned common decency and claimed morality was 'tedious.'

But as he pressed against her, his thigh sliding ever so slowly between her legs, she could not help another intake of breath at the sensation. What were her arguments again? Her mind became fuzzy and her thoughts fled as all she could do was feel. His weight was holding her down, immobilizing her, her skin thrilling at his touch… Why did she suddenly feel in such exhilarating danger and at the same time so protected from the world around her? As his hands explored her skin tantalizingly slowly, all she could feel was longing for him to touch her again and again.

She felt her body relax and open without her conscious control; she felt herself tingle all over, as though her skin were finally breathing after a decade of imprisonment.

His mouth hovered over hers and his breath was warm against her face. "That is no answer, Hermione," he murmured, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Don't you remember how good we were together?" he whispered. "Don't you want that again? I've missed you so much, Hermione. You don't know how lonely I've been…"

At that, fury surged through her and she pushed him away angrily. "Lonely? With a different girl in your bed every night?" Her voice rose. "How dare you spew such lies to me, Draco?"

"I loved you, Hermione." His huge gray eyes were glittering with… was it tears? "I still love you."

She shook her head, as much to convince herself as to deny his words. "You have a line for every girl, don't you, Draco? A polished technique that has no relationship to the truth; it's simply whatever works to give you pleasure. You talk about love, but you don't care about the feelings of those you use…" Her voice broke.

"No," he murmured, laying his soft cheek alongside hers, and again, she could not move in his grasp. "I swear, you are different from all of them. I only turned to them because I could not have you, because you left me."

"_I_ left _you_?" Her voice cracked in disbelief. "I seem to recall that _you_ made that decision."

"It was never my choice," he said calmly. "You found fault with my behavior, although it was what you wanted too."

"You _what_? I—_mmph_…" He took her lips in his and a wave of desire, of helpless craving, pooled in her core, made her knees weak, made her mind shut down until her hands found his lush warm hair and all she could do was cling to him, allowing him to ravage and explore her mouth. His kiss was possessive, violent, all-consuming, and it made her wail inside even as she melted before him; his lips and tongue and teeth tore at her as his hands slipped inside her clothes and ignited her skin.

_No,_ she thought. _No, not again._ But somehow her body ignored her, as it had on that day so long ago…

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**A/N:** My first story for this pairing! Let me know if you want me to continue. I really appreciate reviews and feedback of any length.

Someone recently told me that people sometimes don't know what to say in a review. So to make it easy for everyone, here's a guide for my writing; you only need to type one letter in your review.

a. Update soon!

b. Loved this chapter.

c. Liked this chapter, but there were a few problems.

d. Don't know what to say, but thanks for writing.

e. I liked this, but don't neglect your old fandom.


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